Fox Phoenix Theatre
11 S. First Street,
Phoenix,
AZ
85004
11 S. First Street,
Phoenix,
AZ
85004
8 people
favorited this theater
Opened in July 30, 1931, this was one of S. Charles Lee’s largest and most elaborate creations in the sharp-edged, abstract zig-zag Moderne style.
A special feature in its lobby was the row of streetlights alongside the staircase, topped with glass disks and spun in silver globes on the end of 15-foot uprights, outlined by the delicate filigree of the metal railing.
In the auditorium, a metalic sunburst spread across the ceiling from the radiating acoustic frames of the proscenium arch. The organ grills were silverleafed with gold highlights. 0n the side wall an archer takes aim at a gazelle, while birds fly overhead.
Jewel-like lanterns composed of geometrically shaped glass panes hang from the ceiling. Across the opposite sidewall, mythical gazelle-like creatures romp in the abstract landscape. Sunbursts top the scalloped border of the scene at the top of the wall. Angular Deco style pilasters interrupt the wall surface. A pair of leaping gazelles can also be seen above the proscenium. The fire curtain displayed an abstracted version of the Arizona desert landscape.
Sadly, the Fox Phoenix Theatre was ground to dust during its demolition in 1975.
Contributed by
BHousos
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Recent comments (view all 52 comments)
From the pictures, the Fox Phoenix was a beautiful theater which could have been saved! The officials of Phoenix belong in the same catagory as the 1962 City Commission of San Francisco, which lost the greatest theater of all time – the San Francisco Fox – those idots were offered the theater FOR FREE if they just purchase the property. It could have been used for a performing arts center or home of the S.F. Symphony. $1 million dollars – the city thought it was too much! Some ten years later, the city spent over $60,000 for building the Davis Symphony Hall and another 40+ million for building the George Moscone Convention Center – neither facility had the seating capacity of the Fox (5000+). Then in the 1990’s, S.F. had to spend ANOTHER $20 million to fix the acoustics of Davis Symphony Hall; the S.F. Fox was in great shape and had excellent acoustics. Let’s see, $1 million for the Fox versus about $150 for these pieces of junk – what is wrong with S.F.
Phoenix should take a lesson from Oakland (which learned from S.F.’s mistake). When the 4000 seat Oakland Paramount was scheduled to be sold and torn down for a parking lot, the Oakland Symphony jumped in and bought the theater for the same $1 million asking price (which Mann Theaters donated half the cost-same offer as to S.F.) and another $1 million was raised to restore the theater to its glory.
The Oakland Symphony went bankrupt and the City of Oakland took over the operations of the Paramount. Today, it has a large endowment fund.
Another Cinderalla story features another great Oakland palace, the Fox Oakland. Built in 1928 and slightly larger than the Paramount, the Fox closed in 1966. In 1973, an arson fire was set; the insurance fixed the theater. Mann theaters had an auction in 1977 to sell the theaters to a developer to tear it down – it looked like the end for the Fox Oakland! Then, a wealthy elderly woman appeared at the auction and offered the highest bid – she wanted to save the theater because it was where she and her husband met and dated. The
building was sold to Erma Deluchi for $300,000. A few months later, her husband passed away and she lost all interest in rennovating the Fox and re-opening it. Looks like the Fox Oakland was doomed, again.
Question was, when would it be torn down?
Then the City of Oakland planned a revitilization program of its downtown area and need the Fox for performing arts and other venues (the Fox had the deepest state of any bay area place) and they also envisioned opera visiting the Fox. They used eminant domain to purchase the Fox for $3 billion from the Deluchi family. The problem then was the renovation cost – another fire had gutted the floor, the roof was shot and mushrooms were growing inside the sadly delapidated theater. Friends of the Fox Oakland (FOOF) was formed, and the funds were raised – it cost over $60 million to restore the Fox. It re-opened as a theater/performing arts center on February 5, 2009. Below are links to pictures of both theaters….
FOX OAKLAND:
http://www.foxoakland.org/ Friends of Fox Oakland
http://oaklandfox.com/
And the beautiful art deco Paramount, considered the finest in the nation:
View link
Charles S. Lee designed the Fox Phoniex. His most famous theater is the Los Angeles Theater, which he copied after the San Francisco Fox.
Although the Los Angeles is spectacular, it did not compare with the San Francisco Fox – Lee did not have the Fox money to spend. The loss of the Fox San Francisco, the New York Roxy and the Mastbaum in Philadelphia are the tragic loss of 3 of the top theaters in the country.
PHONIEX – take a lesson from Oakland!
I agree with many of the comments here about the heritage of downtown Phoenix. I lived in Phoenix for two years and found the area to be so lacking in architectural past. I’m glad the Orpheum was saved, but with so much land elsewhere, I too am surprised that developers were allowed to bulldoze places like the Fox into oblivion without a trace. (I never knew it even existed until I read this.) Downtown Phoenix may have been dying in the 1970s, but tearing down something so beautiful like the Fox takes away part of a unique urban character of a city that you can’t get back.
The Fox Theatre opened on July 30, 1931 with seating listed at the time of opening at 1,796.
Wallace and Ladmo stage shows here were the best. I still have the empty Ladmo bag I won here in 1963! One of my favorite memories if The Fox was seeing The Beatles movies A Hard Day’s Night and Help there. As The Beatles never did a concert in Phoenix, it was about the closest you could get. We camped outside the theatre the night before Help opened so we could get the best seats. KRIZ even had commemorative tickets printed for the event.
I’d like to address the ‘lack of caring’ posts on the part of Phoenicians about their past. As a native Arizonan and Phoenician I can say without a doubt that we care deeply about our past and hate seeing it bulldozed so carelessly; unfortunately, Arizonans and Phoenicians are in the minority when it comes to who lives and works here. Phoenix is very much a transient city. Few people are from Phoenix who actually live in Phoenix. People come from all around the country and move in with little to no ties to our state or city.
What happened to the Cine-Capri is an excellent example. There was a HUGE outcry among those of us who remember the Cine-Capri and stood in line for three hours to see Star Wars (because that was the only theater it was showing at). Buisness interests from outside the state and council members from Indiana and Iowa representing the district the Cine-Capri was in pushed the demolition through since they had no past history with the establishment. Neither did the residents in the area who saw it as an eyesore and had never seen a movie there as they just moved here from another state. The Kachina went through similiar turmoil.
My mother worked at the Fox in the fourties and was part of the small fight to save it. That was simply short-sighted councilmen. The wholesale destruction that has happened since then has been wrought by people who grew up in other states. They have no ‘skin in the game’ so to speak. Is it our fault for electing them? Sure, but as I said people with a past here are in the minority.
I live in Tucson now and am thankful we don’t have near the out of town/state issues that Phoenix has. We fought hard to restore our Fox and I and many others I know support it financially and by volunteering.
If you move here from out of state, become vested in Arizona: patronize local businesses, find out about the history, go sight seeing, hike, bike, support local sports venues. We need our historic places just like you need yours wherever you’re from.
Was a nice looking theatre.
What ever happened to the wonderful black and white photos of the old Fox on the web? I cannot find them anywhere now? It used to be on this website, but now it will not open: http://acmeron.com/puhs/puhs_page_5.htm
What a shame that the Fox was torn down.
What the heck were they thinking?
Many fond memories: I loved it even before we stepped into the theater, that you got to go down the circular ramp into the old J.C.Pennys underground parking garage next door. (gone too) Then a stop at the candy counter. Finally when you stepped into the theater, it was amazing. A wonderland scene of sculpture, paintings and light. I wanted to go sit in the balcony, but my mom said that that was reserved for the “negroes”. I would ask why they got to sit in the best seats in the house.
I got to peek into the projection room one time. What a monstrous and menacing piece of equipment was in that room. A trip to the Fox was a truly special experience for me.
JMS
Restoring link. Thank You!
Thank YOU!!! for restoring the link. I was so happy to see the pictures of the Fox…and once again, so sad that it was torn down. Why was nothing done at the time to save it? Who was in charge? I read that the city of Phoenix already owned it. So sad!
Just after the main credits in the film “Psycho” as the camera pans right you can see the Fox Theatre building in the background.